Read time: 1 minutes

The Journey From EIT to PE

Katherine started her career at Dunaway over five years ago. We are proud to share in her accomplishment that after a years of hard work and dedication she has earned her professional engineering license! We asked Katherine what it was like to go from engineer-in-training to professional engineer, and all that’s involved in the process.

Why did you choose this career?

My older sister studied interior architecture in Chicago when I was a kid, and she would always point out interesting buildings or architectural features as we walked around the city. I gradually became more interested in structures and wondered how they were built. Her influence – combined with the fact that I liked math and science – led me to study civil engineering at university.

What steps did you have to take to get your PE license? What was the hardest part?

I worked for about five years before taking the PE exam and studied for months to prepare. The hardest part was balancing studying while also juggling a demanding, full-time job. The exam is 8 hours long and includes a wide variety of topics related to civil engineering, with a portion focusing on structural engineering.

“

Buildings are like giant 3D puzzles to me. To design a structure, you must have a wide variety of knowledge and a detailed understanding of forces and connections. That information is like little puzzle pieces that must fit together to reach the final design.

”
How long did the process take?

The whole process started when I walked into that first engineering class at college. I began learning the information that I needed to pass the FE and PE exams from the very beginning. However, the process to become licensed once I was out of school realistically took me about 5 years. I worked for a minimum of 4 years to be eligible for my license, and then it took about another year to study, pass the exam, and file for my license.

What do you enjoy most about engineering?

I like puzzles and understanding how things work. Buildings are like giant 3D puzzles to me. To design a structure, you must have a wide variety of knowledge and a detailed understanding of forces, connections, etc. All that information is like little puzzle pieces that must fit together to reach the final design.

Congratulations on this achievement, Katherine!